Simple Pleasures
by DWH
Summary: What does it take to make you happy? Sometimes, it's not that complicated. Series of sketches with Blue Side OCs, complete.


**Authorial Note:** _The OCs used herein are all part of my overarching Blue Side plot line, but I like putting them in un-epic situations such as these. And these sketches are just made of happy. : ) _

** Music**

Leiraya sat, hugging the 7-stringed tarro close to her. She looked up at the stars, wondering which one was Corell. She could have looked it up on the _Hawk's_ navicomputer, but that would have taken the mystery away from the beauty of the night sky. After a hard-won battle, the crew was rightly celebrating. She'd grabbed the nearly-forgotten instrument from the ship and found a patch of beach a fair distance from everyone else. She would join them later- for now, she needed a moment to herself. Gently strumming the strings, she began to sing- quietly at first, but with increasing passion.

_I found you on the silver shores_

_A whisper, a thought in my mind_

_You told me to dream beyond the endless mists_

_Past the hills and mountains I'd find_

_And though I had not an inkling_

_Of where this road might go_

_I heeded your whispers through the dark of night _

_And now I've come to know_

_No road is greater than the one you can't see_

_No other path could have spoken to me_

_Though you'll be taken places that you do not know_

_The spirit of light will be with you, wherever you go_

As the last chords faded into the night, she heard faint applause behind her. Whipping around, she saw Carth Onasi standing there, a stupid-looking grin on his face. While her first instinct was to be annoyed, it did not last long. "What brings you to my private concert?"

"I was out walking, and I heard you." he shrugged, still grinning. "It was beautiful."

"My mother taught me that song. I had no idea how true I'd find it."

Carth came and sat beside her. "I know this has been hard for you."

"For me, and everyone else in the galaxy." Leiraya readjusted the tarro in her lap and looked over at him. "It's been hard, and I suspect it will continue to be hard. But you know what made all that go away, just for a minute?"

"The music."

"When I'm singing, if I close my eyes, I can forget there's a galaxy at war. It's just me and the stars, and a beautiful melody."

Carth nodded, and looked up at the sky. "If you don't mind having an extra person around, would you mind making the war go away again?"

"I'd love to."

**Dancing Barefoot in the Grass**

Grass. How long had it been since she'd been able to set foot on such luscious, vibrant grass? Too long, between the cold metal decks of the ship, inhospitable worlds, and injuries that prevented her from enjoying anything.

At first, she just buried her toes down as deep as she could go, luxuriating in the tactile experience. Before long, that was not enough. Her feet started to slowly slide across the surface of the grass, feeling the silky-smooth texture on her soles. Humming a light Corellian air, her feet started to move in familiar patterns, sometimes skimming the grass, sometimes leaping over it, landing easily with the ample cushioning the grass provided.

Flinging her arms out wide, she danced with complete abandon, forgetting every worry she had.

For a moment, at least, her world was perfect.

**Snow**

Leiraya and Kylan walked down the road in Silver Hills, which was coated with an uncharacteristic layer of snow.

"It looks just like faerie dust," Leiraya grinned.

"I thought you were too old for faeries," Kylan replied, amusement obvious in his voice.

"Nobody's too old for faeries. Except for maybe those born too old to appreciate them," Leiraya elbowed him gently, smiling. "Come now, you think it's pretty, too."

Kylan glanced up at the flakes that were still gently falling from the sky. "When was the last time it snowed?"

"We were little," Leiraya replied, searching her memory. "It's been at least ten years. Skyler loved it."

Kylan smiled wistfully. "Yeah, I can see why."

"You know what we did last time it snowed?" Leiraya asked, a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

Kylan looked at her warily. "What?"

His response was a wad of snow that Leiraya had packed together with the Force, and then sent flying into the back of his head. "Hey!"

She darted off to grab some snow in the more traditional fashion, and Kylan followed suit. Soon they were running down the road, chucking snowballs in varying levels of disintegration at each other.

When they finally reached their destination, they were both covered in snow flakes. Leiraya reached up and tousled Kylan's snow-crusted hair. "Who needs to act like grown-ups, anyway?"

Kylan grinned in return. "I suppose it's occasionally overrated."

**Swimming on a warm summer day**

Submerged, Leiraya could feel the currents taking her hair in several directions. Rising for air, she enjoyed the sensation of her head being pulled down as her hair resisted being pulled from the water. The temperature was perfect- both in the water and out. If she dove underwater, she could pretend for as long as her lungs held out that she was one of the fabled merpeople, exploring the deepest seas for forgotten treasure and uncovering mysteries.

She was just a human, so she was always faced with the bright glare of the sun dancing on the water's surface before long. However, she hardly let that stop her fun. After all, if simple things like reality could stop an imagination, no one would ever have any fun at all.

**A picnic with your best friends**

"Mmmm." Skyler was unable to form anything more coherent until he swallowed the mouthful he'd been chewing. "Your mom makes the best food."

Leiraya grinned. "If she didn't, you wouldn't come over so much."

"That's not true," Skyler protested. "I like you more than your mom's food!"

Kira giggled. "There's a standard to go by. Leiraya, your friends like you better than the food."

"I don't know," Kylan said, looking seriously at his sandwich. "I'm thinking of throwing my support in with the food."

"You're just saying that because the food doesn't argue back," Leiraya replied amiably.

"That is a point of merit, yes."

"Come on, you know you like debating with me." Her eyes danced and she munched on a crisp vegetable stick.

"Sandwich, do you think I should continue to put up with the abuse she puts me through?" Kylan held the sandwich up to his ear. Hearing no apparent reply, he shrugged and took a healthy bite out of it.

"Abuse? You're trying to replace me with lunch food!"

Skyler grinned. "I'll never try to replace you with a sandwich."

Leiraya shook her head ruefully and looked over at Kira. "You're right. I should invest in some friends who appreciate me more."

Kira nodded sagely. "I'm telling you, I have connections in some very nice areas of the social ladder."

"You wouldn't like them," Kylan insisted.

Leiraya raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I mean, you're the one who'd rather hang out with a sandwich than me."

"You know I'm right," Kylan continued, "because they wouldn't be caught out here."

She looked around, and sure enough they were the only people in the grassy field. Silver Hills wasn't so small as to only have one field, but she knew her classmates well enough to know they weren't the picnicking type. "Okay, so maybe they'd rather eat on a table."

"We're supposedly too dignified and grown up for this," Kylan reminded her.

"That's just silly," Leiraya scoffed. "Besides, if being grown up means I can't enjoy the simple things in life, then I'd rather not grow up at all."

Kylan grinned broadly. "I don't think that's _ever_going to be your problem."


End file.
